Delta-Encoded Wi-Fi Beacon Database Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current location-based services face challenges in providing accurate and reliable positioning due to interference from structures and multi-path signals, especially in urban areas, and existing Wi-Fi location systems suffer from outdated data, arterial bias, and inefficiencies in data management and propagation.
Innovation Solution
A method for encoding and compressing a location beacon database using delta encoding and data clustering to reduce storage requirements, allowing for efficient distribution and storage of Wi-Fi access point data on mobile devices, enabling accurate location calculations without continuous network connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the location beacon database stores complete MAC addresses and geographical locations for all access points, then the system provides comprehensive location data, but the storage requirements and data transmission size become excessively large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary location information (geographical coordinates) while discarding redundant identification data (complete MAC addresses). By storing only the essential location data rather than full access point records, the system significantly reduces storage requirements while maintaining location service functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different data representation strategies for different parts of the database. Instead of uniformly storing complete access point information, the system uses compressed location data structures that adapt to the specific needs of location-based services, optimizing storage efficiency without compromising location accuracy.
2Reliability
If the system uses traditional database storage for location beacons, then data can be stored and retrieved, but the arterial bias and outdated data problems persist due to inefficient data management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary data validation and filtering mechanisms that prevent arterial bias and outdated data from entering the database. By establishing strict data quality criteria and validation rules before data ingestion, the system ensures only accurate and current location data is stored, improving reliability without requiring complex post-processing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the location beacon database is distributed to mobile devices, then location services can function offline, but the large data size creates transmission bandwidth constraints and delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential location data needed for offline positioning functions, eliminating unnecessary access point metadata. This extraction enables the database to be transmitted at acceptable speeds over wireless networks while still providing comprehensive offline location service capability when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of delta-encoding and compressing a table containing 6-byte MAC addresses is provided. The MAC addresses are sorted, a first MAC address is stored, and only the binary differences between succeeding MAC addresses are stored. A method of reading a delta-encoded and compressed MAC address table is provided. A first unencoded MAC address is read. The remaining MAC addresses are generated by successively adding stored binary differences to the result of the previous addition. A method of encoding and compressing a location table is provided. A reference latitude and longitude is selected and stored. The offsets from the reference latitude and longitude are stored for the remaining locations. A method of reading an encoded location table is provided. A stored reference latitude and longitude is read. Stored offsets are read and applied to the reference latitude and longitude to generate a set of latitude and longitude locations.